Your Pond in Spring

It’s always exciting to see the new activity in the natural world around us. Your wildlife pond is among the first areas to come to life. We live in a relatively mild region and winters seem to be getting milder.

Adult  frogs come out of hibernation relatively early – towards the end of February or early March – and normally produce large quantities of frog spawn  which is familiar as a jelly-like mass floating near the  surface of the water. At breeding time, frogs do prefer to return to their place of birth, but they can spawn in even quite a small new body of water.

However, they don’t like spawning when newts are present.  Frogs lay very large numbers of eggs since the survival rate is very low. Whilst laying their eggs, the male frog will grip the female firmly in what is called the Amplexus and this position may last for a few days. Toads adopt a similar position, sometimes on land as well as in the water.

If there is a particularly cold spell, then you might try to protect the surface eggs from the frost. Toads and newts lay their eggs lower in the water so are not in the same danger of freezing.
After spawning, most frogs spend most of their time in moist places out of water but always return to water to breed.

Frogs

Frogs have a varied diet of worms and grubs etc. – and are well known for their ability to shoot out their tongue to catch flies that stray too close. Frogs are common residents of small ponds in both urban and rural locations and a welcome addition to the garden community for keen gardeners by eating small slugs and other grubs..

Newts

Newts also hibernate during the winter but return to water in early spring to lay their eggs. Whilst the baby newts develop in water, the adults return to dry land after spawning and seek damp or sheltered places until they hibernate in November. They readily hibernate amongst piles of stone or rubble and so by providing such habitat will help to encourage this species to take up permanent residence in your garden.

Toads

Whilst toads are frequently confused with frogs, they are easy to tell apart. Toads tend to be a darker colour and their skin is uneven since it is covered in small warts [which contain a toxic substance – so do make sure you wash your hands after handling a toad]. Size is similar to frogs – but they can grow somewhat larger. There is also a marked difference between the sexes with the females often reaching several times the size of the males. They spend more time on land than do other amphibians. Whist toads like damp places, they will often seek any snug place which is dark during the day

Feeding Fish

If you have a pond with ornamental fish, you may be concerned to start feeding after the winter months. After a period similar to hibernation, the fish will be anxious to build up reserves before spawning.   You may have been feeding during an exceptionally mild winter spell but remember that their digestive system only really starts to work above about 10⁰ C and excessive feeding could cause indigestion.  You should be able to buy a thermometer suitable for measuring the temperature either at your garden centre or on line.